The Kerry Park Islanders couldn’t have been more ready to take on the Saanich Braves on Wednesday before the plug was pulled on their Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League playoff opener.
With two minutes left in the warm-up, the power went out at George Pearkes Arena, and the game had to be rescheduled.
“The guys were fired up,” Islanders owner Mark Osmond said. “They were ready to go. You could see it in their eyes.”
It was especially disappointing for Osmond, who was celebrating his birthday on Wednesday and was eager to see his team beat the Braves, who they went 6-2 against in the regular season.
Wednesday’s game has been bumped to next Monday. The teams will play in Saanich on Friday evening, then at Kerry Park on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., back in Saanich on Monday evening, and at Kerry Park again next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Osmond feels the tight schedule favours his team.
“It suits us,” he said. “We’re built for that. Our team will grind it out.”